The Quickest of Waits
by RockingouttoPinkFloyd
Summary: Once they started, he found he couldn't stop. T for some foul language. I am warning you I'm horrible at summarys and ratings.


~Hey, Emily again. I do believe this is my longest one yet. Idc. I think I need to get a prescription for Prozac or something with all these darker pieces I've been writing lately. Unfortunately, I make no money for them because nothing is mine. Even though it's not mine, please review it. Flames or flowers. Thanks! ~

Fred woke up. Stretching, he looked down to find himself unclothed. He shrugged it off, until his body caught his attention. The scars accumulated from the battle were gone. He felt his pulse; pretty certain of the result, but it stunned him. He had no pulse. Scrambling, he jumped to a bench sitting off to the side. That was odd, he thought. A bench in the middle of nothing. He noticed his surroundings. He was in the garden, outside the Burrow. As much as he yearned to see his family and home again, he didn't make a move to enter.

"A wise decision." An old voice sighed. Fred wheeled around to find Professor Dumbledore standing serenely.

"Professor!" Fred blushed, acutely aware of his birthday suit. Dumbledore looked away politely while Fred pulled on the robe that he had found near his feet. Dressed, he addressed his old headmaster. "Sir, what's going on?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Ah, dear boy, you are in your special version of the afterlife. You are waiting, in the…for lack of a better word…holding area. This is the place you most felt connected with, so you get to wait here until the person you are waiting on passes as well. Then you both may move beyond here."

Fred stood stunned. The old man was known, nay, notorious for never giving straight answers in favor of cryptic riddles. Seems the afterlife was kind to those who had to deal with the former headmaster.

"And just who am I waiting for, Professor?"

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "That, Mr. Weasley, is something you have to find out all on your own."

Fred snorted; this was the headmaster he remembered. He closed his eyes and sighed. Preparing for the barrage of questions he was about to sling at the elder man, he opened his eyes to see the ex-professor gone. He chuckled and shook his head ruefully. He should have known something was going to happen.

Fred sighed again and plunked himself down on the bench to wait.

He didn't have to wait long. He'd never been much of a patient person to begin with, but this was almost ridiculous. He checked his watch, and as soon as he looked up, his beloved Burrow caught aglow. Yelping, he jumped up.

"Wha? Where am I?" Fred froze as a voice identical to his came from the house.

"George?" He was almost afraid to say the name out loud, as if speaking it made it so. Don't get him wrong; there was nothing more he wanted than to be with his twin, but not yet. He felt it as deep in his bones. It was too soon for George.

"…Fred? Is that really you?" George poked his head around the corner. Upon seeing his beloved brother, he shouted with joy. Fred braced himself as his twin threw himself into his arms. Forgetting the feeling he felt earlier, Fred hugged his brother back just as enthusiastically.

George stepped back, and the second the contact left, the feeling returned, stronger than ever.

"Georgie. I love you man." Tears clouded his eyes as he gripped his bro's forearms. Deciding that he had missed his brother long enough, he let the tears fall.

Once they started, he found he couldn't stop. He noticed through his cascade of emotions that he wasn't the only one with the water works. Grinning through his tears, he thumped his brother on the back.

"Why you crying, Gred?"

"Oh Forge! You have no idea how much I've missed you!"

Fred held George at arm's length. "George, what's going on? You're all funny colored."

His eyes got big as parts of his twin started disingrating. Fred wildly started searching; for what, he didn't know.

"Somebody! Stop this! Please! I don't care who! Please! Don't do this! Not now! No! No! No! No no no no no!" Fred's tears came in torrents now. "Please! Anybody! Help us!"

An official sounding voice reverberated through the small garden. "Mr. George Weasley. You have been given the next fifteen minutes to enjoy your last happy moments. At the end of these fifteen minutes, you will go to your place of final rest. Your time starts NOW."

Fred looked in shock at his twin. George smiled sadly. "I couldn't wait to see you."

The feeling that Fred had been feeling earlier that returned and hit him full force. It was like a freight train decided to park itself on his chest. "George," he started slowly, "You didn't! Please tell me you didn't!"

"Fred," he started slowly, "You don't understand. You don't get what it was like. Life without you…" He looked away. "I couldn't bear it. Ickle Ronniekins decided to make it his personal quest to be my therapist. My fucking therapist, Fred, can you believe it? He tried to get into my head. The little shite actually tried to understand. He can't understand! As soon as Hermione came knocking, damn, I think there's still tread marks from how fast he tried to get out of there!" George reached up and wiped his face. He turned to look at his loved twin. "Fred, I just couldn't live without you. When you died, I died. You should be relieved to know it was quick. I swear I made it look like an accident. Like one of my experiments had gone wrong. I couldn't do that to Mum. It didn't even hurt. I swear, I didn't feel a thing. Except….relief. I was so excited to be seeing you again." He smiled and wiped the tears that had been coursing down the identical face that sat across from him. "I love you Fred."

"George," Fred started. He stopped and pulled his twin close to him again. "Georgie. Do you not know what this means?" George just snuggled closer to Fred and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "I don't care." "George, this means you …" Fred paused to breath. "Oh George! Why couldn't you have waited!"

"Fred, I, uh, I don't understand."

"George. We aren't going in the same direction anymore." His eyes refilled.

George's eyes got wider.

"George Weasley. Your 15 minutes are up." The voice was less sympathetic than last time.

"No! Please! George! Don't go! Don't!" Fred sobbed harder than ever.

"I'm so sorry Freddie. I love you." With those words, George disingrated into nothing.

Fred groped at the empty void his brother just occupied. "NO!"

Dumbledore reappeared to the weeping redhead. "Well, Mr. Weasley? Are you ready to go home?"

Fred steeled himself. "No. I don't want to go home. I want my brother!"

Dumbledore looked stern. "Come now Fred. Be reasonable." His face softened. "Fred, once you pass through the gates, you won't remember him. You won't be burdened by thoughts of him. You'll be able to rest in peace."

The very thought made Fred reel back in disgust. "Live without George? Never! I don't want heaven if it's without George! He was my reason for living!"

"Mr. Weasley. Might I remind you that you are in fact dead, therefore you are not alive?"

"Get away from me you heartless bastard! No! I want George! I don't want to forget him, don't you see? He was my twin brother. I love him more than I love myself. It won't be heaven. It'll be hell!" Fred stormed over to the old man. "Take me to him! I'd rather spend eternity in hell with him than heaven without!"

Dumbledore stood thoughtful for a moment. "You don't mean it." He replied confidently.

Fred stalked closer. "I have never meant anything more in my life."

Dumbledore shook his head thoughtfully. "Can't be done."

"I'm Fred Weasley! I will find a way!" He froze, a strike of his revered intelligently brilliant ideas hitting him like a ton of bricks. "Oh yes there is." He smiled slowly and took out his wand.

Dumbledore rushed forward, "No! Fred!"

Too late. With his signature smirk Fred pointed the wand at his chest and whispered the curse that would save him; that would send him back to his much loved, much missed best friend.


End file.
